Is it permissible to continue praying when a cat lies down in the middle of the prayer rug?

The cat is pure (tahir), according to the hadith: "It is not impure; it is one of those that circulate among you, male and female." Its lying on the worshipper's prayer mat or touching the worshipper does not affect the validity of the prayer. However, one must beware of its urine, as it is considered impure (najis) by the majority of scholars.